We've all heard about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or APEC, the powerful pro-israel lobby group shaping US politics. But little is known about its main counterparts operating across the Atlantic in Europe and England that's quietly pulling strings in both the EU and British parliaments. So who's behind the group, what do they want and why are they operating under the radar? Meet El Net, Europe's most influential Israel lobby group. El Net, which stands for European Leadership Network, presents itself as an NGO promoting shared democratic values between Europe and Israel. But a closer look reveals an entirely different agenda. Founded in 2007 with offices across Europe and England, El Net's purpose is to align European MP's with pro-israel narratives and to ensure that Tel Aviv's interests get a direct line into European decision-making. The man behind it? Ranan Elias, who first dealt with European affairs at AIPAC and later at the Israeli National Security Council. His words in 2008 were clear. If groups like ours had even 10% of the budget of US pro Israel lobbies, we could change European policies. And that's exactly what Elnat has been trying to do. But how is El Nat influencing European and British politicians?Simple direct engagement. El Nat cultivates personal ties with key figures and individual lawmakers. As a core tactic, it sends lawmakers on luxury, all expenses paid trips to Israel, framing them as educational experiences. In the first seven months after Tel Aviv launched its genocidal war on Palestine's Gaza on October 7th, 2023, Elnet arranged over 20 trips, sending nearly 300 parliamentarians from both the EU and the UK to Israel. But these trips aren't just for show. They're designed to get MPs on board with Israel's narratives and to push Tel Aviv's agenda into related policies. Among the many attendees were UK politicians Andrew Percy. And Anthony Higginbotham, who declared that the troops were donations. Numerous UK Labour Party members also received money from Elnat amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza. A 2024 report by Declassified UK revealed that nine Conservative MPs received funds from pro Israel groups, including Elnat, and key figures like John Woodcock, the Baron of Walney, joined Elnat's online briefings about Tel Aviv's atrocities in the Palestinian enclave. El Net's lobbying led to increased support among EU politicians for Israeli policies that had previously come under heavy criticism from some EU member states and neutralized opposition to Tel Aviv's actions in Palestine, such as those related to its illegal settlements or its brutal war on Gaza. El Net Israel CEO Emmanuel Navon says parliamentary delegations to Israel directly impact the level of support Tel Aviv receives from Western countries. In May 2024, he told supporters that El Net had influenced the European Parliament's resolution conditioning a Gaza ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages and the defeat of Hamas. Now, this resolution would never have been passed without the many years of work done by El Net or those parliamentarians that have literally turned them around as pro Israeli as being pro Israel after visiting Israel. So the question now is, besides Israel, who else is funding El Net? Unsurprisingly, tracking the money leads us back across the Atlantic to the US. El Net's primary funding comes from private donations often linked to anti Muslim groups and prominent pro Israel and pro Republican billionaires. For years, El Net has copied the modus operandi of the US's Israeli lobbies. The group's US based fundraising arm called Friends of El Net or Fel Net. Is led by former Israeli diplomat David Siegel, who also overseas a majority of El Net's budget. Fel Net raised over $7,000,000 in 2022, a million more than in 2021. Other donors include Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, and billionaire Larry Meisel, as well as the Lisa and Michael Lafell Foundation linked to billionaire investor Michael Lafell. Funding also comes in from American billionaires tied to various transatlantic groups promote Islamophobia. And finance illegal Israeli settlements such as Miriam Adelson and Nina Rosenwald. Still, since Elnet's budgets and donors are only partially disclosed and information about the exact allocations of funds remains scarce, the influence of the group's undisclosed contributions on European policy making warrants further scrutiny. Elnet's lobbying also extends into. The tech, defense and business sectors. The lobby group uses its influence to secure lucrative trade deals with EU countries. These deals promote the use of Israeli defense and tech firms in sectors like cybersecurity, AI and Agritech. In 2017, Alnet successfully lobbied for the continuation of the European Israeli Association Agreement, which is a legal framework aimed at fostering political dialogue and Economic cooperation between Tel Aviv and the EU. These efforts help Israeli companies access EU funding and markets. So after peeling back a few layers of Elnet's vast operations across Europe, we have to ask who's really benefiting more from this lobby group, Europe citizens or Israel?